BELOVED former local principal Gerry Gimblett is expected to make a full recovery after a serious car accident in which her husband Chris tragically lost his life.
Mr and Mrs Gimblett were travelling home to the Yaraka Hotel from Longreach after a podiatrist appointment on June 10 when their car blew a tyre near Isisford and ended up about 20m off the road.
The news sent shockwaves through communities the Gimbletts have been part of, including Beaudesert and Yaraka.
The Gimbletts have lived in Yaraka since 2014, when they bought the pub and moved there from Beaudesert after Mrs Gimblett retired from education.
Mrs Gimblett was Principal of Yaraka’s tiny primary school at the start of her career.
The couple were well known and loved in Beaudesert, particularly through Mrs Gimblett’s role as Beaudesert State School Principal for 14 years.
Mrs Gimblett, now 77, grew up on Beaudesert’s Pitt Street after her family moved to Australia from Holland and she still has family in the town.
‘Blessed’
Mrs Gimblett’s voice swells with gratitude when she describes how friends from Yaraka happened to be driving past after the accident.
She flagged them down after managing to free herself from the wreckage and make her way to the road despite being in a critical condition.
“We were blessed to have Margie and Wayne Ross from Yaraka’s Vacy station, because before that two cars went past and didn’t even realise there’d been an accident, but they were the next car to come along,” she said.
“At that stage I wasn’t sure what Chris’s condition was, so I thought we need to get an ambulance as quickly as possible.
“They were just our guardian angels, and it was just beautiful. They called the ambulance and found a little mound to sit on whilst we waited, and it was just a real blessing to have somebody we knew.
“When I was put into the ambulance Margie said to me, ‘Chris is gone’ and I knew he’d passed.”
Finding comfort
Mrs Gimblett told the Bulletin while the tragedy of the situation was yet to sink in, she felt the comfort of family, friends and her faith.
“The beautiful thing is our grandson, who’s nine years old, said, ‘you know, Grandad was 86 years old, and he loved driving and he died doing what he loved’,” she said.
“I’m just so glad that Chris didn’t suffer any pain and he’s had a good innings but obviously the Good Lord’s got more in mind for me, so I’m not allowed to go yet.”
Mrs Gimblett spoke at length and with pride about her husband’s full life – including his work as an author – and about their family including their son, daughter in law, grandchildren and her stepson and stepdaughters.
Thanking Beauy
More than a decade has passed since the Gimbletts last left Beaudesert, but Mrs Gimblett is as fond as ever of her connections here.
She vividly remembers the day the entire school lined the oval to say goodbye and she got to farewell each student individually.
“It still makes me cry when I think of that – the fact that they got all the children to line the oval and I was able to hug every child. It was just beautiful,” she said.
Mrs Gimblett said she and her family had been overwhelmed by the support of Beaudesert since the accident.
“Please pass on that the prayers that are going out are all being answered, and I am just so thankful to everyone for the beautiful support,” she said.
“I just want to thank the community for their love and their prayers and their support – it’s like all the communities we’ve been part of have just risen to the occasion.”
Day by day
At time of print Mrs Gimblett was preparing to progress to rehab with hopes of a full recovery with the love and support of the people around her.
The family had decided on a private cremation for Mr Gimblett with hopes Mrs Gimblett would be able to attend on day release, and they hoped to plan a memorial in Yaraka in coming months pending Mrs Gimblett’s progress and recovery.
“I don’t know quite where to go from here but I’m just taking one day at a time. It’s been a blessed life with never a dull moment,” she said.
“It’s an absolute blessing the way people have responded and just can’t thank people enough.”
